Reversible glove

ABSTRACT

A reversible work or cleaning glove has a three-fingered design to permit a user to wear the glove with either the palm side or glove side facing forward on the user&#39;s hand. The three-fingered glove includes a relatively large center pocket that accommodates the three center fingers of the user&#39;s hand. Two substantially identical side pockets are placed symmetrically about the center pocket. The side pockets accommodate either the thumb or the small finger of the user, depending on whether the palm side or back side is forward. By constructing the glove so it can be comfortably worn either palm side or back side forward, the life of the glove can be greatly extended.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to reversible gloves with front and rear surfaces that can be reversed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a reversible work or cleaning glove in which both sides of the glove can be used to extend the life of the glove.

[0005] Gloves are often used in the workplace and at home to protect a worker's hand and/or as a cleaning or polishing surface. The disadvantage of almost all commercially available work and cleaning gloves is that they must be discarded when the front surface of the glove becomes worn or unacceptably soiled. The design of such gloves is to be worn on a particular hand, and thus the glove only has a single front surface. When that front surface becomes worn and/or soiled, it is no longer useful.

[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0007] Various attempts have been made in the prior art to develop a glove that could be worn on either hand of the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,183, is a glove which could fit either the right or left hand, but because it contains 5 individual fingers, its glove surface is too small for certain jobs. Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,435, is a glove with an elastic cuff, but this glove has 5 distinct fingers so that only one side of the glove could be used without switching hands. Also, there is not enough available surface on the glove for larger jobs. A third example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,400, which is a glove that could be worn on either the right or left hand. Because it has 5 distinct fingers it cannot be reversed on the same hand. In addition, there is not enough available surface on the glove for larger jobs.

[0008] It would be advantageous if a work or cleaning glove could be developed which was capable of permitting both surfaces of the glove to be used, without causing worker discomfort. Despite the apparent advantages that such a glove would offer, to date no such glove has been made commercially available.

SUMMARY OF TIE INVENTION

[0009] In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a three-fingered reversible work glove permits a user to wear the glove with either the palm side or the back side facing forward thereby permitting both the palm and back side surfaces to be used. The three-fingered glove includes a relatively large center pocket that accommodates the three center fingers of the user's hand. Two substantially identical side pockets are placed symmetrically about the center pocket. The side pockets accommodate either the thumb or the small finger of the user, depending on whether the palm side or back side is forward.

[0010] A variety of designs may be used to secure the glove to the hand of the user. According to one embodiment, an elastic band may be attached to the bottom end of the glove. Alternatively, an elastic strip may be located within a hem of the glove.

[0011] These and other advantages of the present invention will now become apparent upon reading the detailed description and drawings that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The following figures are provided to aid in understanding the principles of the present invention:

[0013]FIG. 1 shows a front elevation of a reversible cleaning glove constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment;

[0014]FIG. 2 shows a front elevation of an alternative embodiment of a reversible cleaning glove;

[0015]FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the cleaning glove of FIG. 2; and

[0016]FIG. 4 shows a partial cut-away side view of the cleaning glove of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] The present invention relates to a glove, which is constructed in such a manner as to be able to be worn on either the right or left hand. The glove is constructed in such a way as to be reversible, palm or back, on either hand and may be turned inside out and still fit either the right or left hand, with the palm or back facing up or down.

[0018] The glove may be used in various applications, including applications where the glove is designed to protect the user, or in applications in which the glove surface is used for cleaning or polishing. The material from which the glove is constructed will depend primarily on its intended use. Various materials may prove more suitable for protecting the hand in a given industry, or may prove a better cleaning surface for a particular application. Thus, the glove's intended use will dictate the material from which the glove is constructed. For purposes of illustration only, and to facilitate a better understanding of the preferred configuration of the glove, the following example will assume a glove that is intended for dusting furniture. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not intended to be limited only to dusting gloves, or gloves that are used for cleaning.

[0019] Experience has shown that most people tend to favor one hand over the other. The present invention permits the user to use a single hand, if desired, and still be able to use the cleaning surface of both sides of the glove. When the palm side becomes excessively soiled, the glove can be turned over and worn with the palm becoming the back of the glove and the back of the glove becoming the palm. Thus, the back surface of the glove, which is most likely completely unsoiled, can be used as another cleaning surface, while still working with the same hand. Further, if desired, the glove may also be turned inside out for two (2) additional cleaning surfaces. Turning a glove inside out is especially advantageous for gloves that are designed to be disposable.

[0020] Referring now to FIG. 1, the glove 1 preferably comprises a three-finger glove, with fingers 3, 3′, and 4. Fingers 3 and 3′ preferably comprise smaller side pockets, while finger 4 preferably comprises a relatively large center pocket. Because glove 1 has a three-fingered design, the thumb and little finger, (fingers 1 and 5 respectively), are placed into the individual finger pockets 3, 3′, located equally and identically on either side of the larger center pocket 4, which contains the index, middle and ring fingers, (fingers 2, 3 and 4 respectively). This glove configuration enables a person the flexibility to clean large surfaces such as tabletops with the whole hand, and the ability to clean into crevices on the backs of chairs with the thumb or little finger.

[0021] Because of the three-fingered configuration of glove 1, the glove may be worn with the user's palm facing either side of the glove. Because the side pockets 3, 3′ are configured similarly, and because the center pocket 4 accommodates the middle three fingers of the hand, the glove is equally comfortable worn forwards or backwards. As a result, the glove can be worn reversibly on the same hand, or on both hands. When one side of the glove 1 becomes excessively soiled or worn, the glove may simply be turned over and worn on the same hand with a clean and unworn surface.

[0022] Referring still to FIG. 1, the glove 1 includes a palm piece P and a back piece B, with both pieces P and B being substantially identical in shape. The glove 1 preferably is configured with three (3) finger portions, consisting of a larger center finger 4, and two (2) identical individual fingers 3, 3′, one each on either side of the larger center finger 4. It will be noted from preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 that the sides of the glove on the opposite sides of the medial line M extending longitudinally of the glove through the middle finger 4 are substantially identical. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the roots 5 and 5′, between the middle finger 4 and the side fingers 3 and 3′, respectively, are on line C extending transversely across the palm of the glove. Line C is substantially perpendicular to the medial line M.

[0023] Further, in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1, the side fingers 3, 3′, located on opposite sides of the large center finger 4, preferably are of similar shape and length, width and positioning. Thus when viewed from either the palm side, or the backside, the glove is generally symmetrical in shape.

[0024] The pieces P and B comprising the palm piece and the back piece are directly joined together at their edges with the exception of the outer end of the wrist portion, where the hand slides in and out of the glove. At the outer end of the wrist portion either an elastic band is joined to the glove material at the edges all the way around the wrist opening, or an elastic strip is enclosed in a hem that goes all the way around the outer edge of the wrist opening.

[0025] To avoid the problem of the glove slipping off during its use, various techniques for securing the glove to the user's hand may be employed, depending on the use of the glove and the material used. For example, one way to secure the glove to a user is to attach an elastic band 2 onto the wrist area of the glove 1. Attaching an elastic band 2 in this fashion to the body of the glove may be especially advantage in applications where the glove can be cleaned and re-used, although this design certainly is not limited to re-usable gloves.

[0026]FIG. 1 is a view of glove 1 from the palm side (P) with an elastic band 2 secured to the wrist end of the glove. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, the backside (B) of the glove looks substantially identical to the palm side (P).

[0027] As another alternative, and referring now to FIG. 2, an elastic band 12 may be placed inside of a hem 15 located at the wrist of the glove 1′. This design may be especially suitable for disposable gloves that are made of relatively inexpensive material, although this design certainly is not limited to disposable gloves. FIG. 2 depicts the palm side (P) of glove 1′, with the elastic strip 12 enclosed in the hem 15 of the wrist end of the glove 1′. The back side (B) of the glove 1′ is substantially identical to the palm side (P).

[0028] Referring now to FIG. 3, the elastic strip 12 preferably is positioned within the hem 15. Thus, the elastic strip 12 preferably is not visible to the user in the embodiment of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cut away view that further illustrates the positioning of the elastic strip 12 inside the hem 15.

[0029] Although the present invention has been described in the context of a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the present invention is susceptible to minor modifications and variations. It is intended that such modifications and variations shall be encompassed within the claims, which follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A reversible glove, comprising: a large center pocket that receives the center fingers of a user's hand; a first side pocket positioned on a first side of said center pocket; and a second side pocket positioned on a second side of said center pocket.
 2. A reversible glove as in claim 1, wherein the large center pocket accommodates the three center fingers of a user's hand.
 3. A reversible glove as in claim 2, wherein the glove has a palm side and a backside.
 4. A reversible glove as in claim 3, wherein said first side pocket accommodates a thumb of the user's hand when the palm side of the glove is facing in the same direction as the user's palm.
 5. A reversible glove as in claim 4, wherein said second side pocket accommodates a small finger of the user's hand when the palm side of the glove is facing in the same direction as the user's palm.
 6. A reversible glove as in claim 5, wherein said first side pocket accommodates the little finger of the user's hand when the back side of the glove is facing in the same direction as the user's palm.
 7. A reversible glove as in claim 6, wherein said second side pocket accommodates the thumb of the user's hand when the back side of the glove is facing in the same direction as the user's palm.
 8. A reversible glove as in claim 7, wherein said first side pocket and said second side pocket have substantially the same configuration.
 9. A reversible glove as in claim 1, further comprising an elastic band attached to a lower end of said glove.
 10. A reversible glove as in claim 1, wherein the glove includes a hem at a lower end of said glove, and wherein an elastic strip is placed inside said hem to secure said glove to the user's wrist.
 11. A reversible glove with a palm side and a back side, comprising: a large center pocket that receives three center fingers of a user's hand; a first side pocket positioned on a first side of said center pocket; a second side pocket positioned on a second side of said center pocket; wherein said first side pocket accommodates a thumb of the user's hand and said second side pocket accommodates a small finger of the user's hand, when the palm side of the glove is facing in the same direction as the user's palm; and wherein said first side pocket accommodates the little finger of the user's hand and said second side pocket accommodates the thumb of the user's hand, when the back side of the glove is facing in the same direction as the user's palm.
 12. A reversible glove as in claim 11, wherein said first side pocket and said second side pocket have substantially the same configuration.
 13. A reversible glove as in claim 12, further comprising an elastic band attached to a lower end of said glove.
 14. A reversible glove as in claim 12, wherein the glove includes a hem at a lower end of said glove, and wherein an elastic strip is placed inside said hem to secure said glove to the user's wrist. 